Final answer:
Citrate is the anticoagulant most commonly used for routine coagulation studies, functioning by chelating calcium ions. Heparin is also a widely used anticoagulant that works by activating antithrombin. Potassium oxalate is utilized to remove calcium ions in laboratory blood samples to inhibit coagulation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The anticoagulant most commonly used for routine coagulation studies is citrate. Citrate works by chelating (binding) calcium ions in the blood, thus disrupting the blood clotting process, as calcium is necessary for the coagulation cascade. When blood is drawn for laboratory testing, citrate is often present in the collection tubes to prevent clotting and preserve the sample as plasma for the tests required.
Heparin is another well-known anticoagulant that is widely used in clinical settings to prevent thrombosis. It acts by enhancing the activity of antithrombin, which in turn inhibits thrombin and several other clotting factors. This makes heparin effective for therapeutic anticoagulation.
For very specific purposes, such as preventing calcium-dependent clotting during blood sample analysis, substances like potassium oxalate are used, which remove calcium ions by forming an insoluble precipitate, thus inhibiting the clotting process.